Established 1961 19 Thursday, May 14, 2020 Sports With little competition, the Bundesliga goes global Germany will provide a much-needed fix of live sport

PARIS: German football will find itself in an ‘A BAROMETER’ unaccustomed global spotlight this weekend Indian international forward Jeje Lalpekhlua as audiences starved of live football turn to said he would also be tuning in to the coverage the only major European league back in on Indian broadcasters Star Sports and action. With the Premier League, Spain’s La Hotstar: “It’s difficult without football for so Liga and Serie A in Italy all still sidelined by long. I am surely going to watch it.” the coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga will In Japan, rightsholder Sky Perfect is going take centre stage on Saturday. to show two Bundesliga matches this weekend Even in Brazil, media coverage has switched free of charge. In Europe too, the matches in from domestic football stories to what TV Germany will provide a much-needed fix of viewers can expect to see when Borussia live sport. Dortmund meet Schalke in the biggest match Adolfo Barbero, who commentates on of the opening day, albeit it without specta- Bundesliga games for the Spanish channel tors in the stadium. Movistar+, said: “I can assure you that I Cable channel Fox Sports, which holds haven’t seen this level of interest in the exclusive rights to Bundesliga in 20 years. show the Bundesliga in Normally people sup- Brazil, will be showing port Bayern Munich, the Ruhr Derby at 9:30 Desperately Dortmund or even am local time. Its web- Bayer Leverkusen and site already features a waiting for that’s it. lengthy article about “But now they are the games entitled “The Bundesliga to also looking forward to wait will soon be over”. start seeing Fortuna Even Brazil’s biggest Duesseldorf and media group, Globo, is Paderborn. It’s crazy.” getting in on the act In Mexico, football with interviews with four Brazilians who play journalists are grateful for something to cover for Bundesliga clubs, including Wolfsburg — and the sorely-missed revenue live sport BERLIN: File photo taken on March 11, 2020 shows Moenchengladbach’s Swiss forward Breel midfielder William, who admitted players were generates. Embolo celebrates scoring the opening goal during the German first division Bundesliga football “a little bit scared” about the implications for “For those of us who make a living from match. The Bundesliga resumes with strict sanitary rules for players and spectators that could their health. football the fact there hasn’t been any activity inspire other countries amid the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). —AFP In India, foreign football leagues have really affects us. A weekend without football is found a market in India’s urban youth who really difficult,” said Emilio Fernando Alonso, a of financial pressures that clubs were facing Bundesliga clubs have instituted are also keenly follow the Premier League and support Mexican reporter for ESPN. due to the health crisis. being scrutinised in Italy and Spain, whose clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester In China, where the Super League might not “Half of the teams in the top two leagues are leagues are some way from being able to United. But a few of these fans also watch La begin until June, German football’s meticulously in danger of going bankrupt, according to esti- consider resuming. Liga and Bundesliga. planned return is being closely watched. mates in Germany,” Ji wrote. “It will be a barometer, the reference point “I am desperately waiting for the Bundesliga Writing in the Oriental Sports Daily, colum- “So for many German clubs, whether it for all the others... if it all goes well it will be a to start this weekend. I am thirsty for live foot- nist Ji Yuyang said the biggest challenge for was better to wait for failure or risk restart- great success and if there’s a big problem it ball action in this lockdown,” Amjad Rehan the Bundesliga was not restarting during the ing, they chose the latter.” The quarantine will have a similarly powerful negative effect,” Ibrahim, a student of Delhi University, told AFP. pandemic, but being able to outlast it because and social distancing measures that Movistar+ commentator Barbero said. —AFP

in New Zealand, a feat that prompt- Akmal, ed commentators to describe him a “future star”. enfant terrible, But his expanding profile was soon tempered with disciplinary S Korea Oly judo star faces reckoning problems. His two brothers –- Kamran and Adnan -– also played given life ban over for Pakistan but never got into hot KARACHI: If ever a soap opera water. Within months of his first were to be made about Pakistan international outing, Umar reported- alleged sexual assault , Umar Akmal might be a good ly feigned an injury in a bid to skip a SEOUL: candidate for the role of enfant terri- Test in Australia, in protest over A South Korean judo star who won a ble. The talented-yet-wayward bats- Kamran being dropped. silver medal at the 2008 Olympics has been man is scrambling to save his once- He was fined and placed on a six- banned for life from the sport’s national body promising career, after he was hit month probation. Even the astute over allegations of sexual assault against a with a three-year ban for failing to Misbah-ul-Haq — Pakistan’s most teenager. Wang Ki-chun rose to fame after com- report match-fixing offers. successful Test — could not ing second in the men’s under 73-kilo category in Umar is expected to learn the fate rein in Umar. Following an irrespon- Beijing despite suffering a rib cage fracture in of an appeal to last month’s discipli- sible shot in a 2011 Test in the early rounds. He was arrested earlier this nary action on or about May 26, , he never again selected month for the alleged sexual assault of a minor, which also happens to be his 30th Umar for the longer format. and if convicted could be jailed for life. birthday. Right now, the signs don’t The following year, he was fined In a unanimous decision, the Korea Judo Umar Akmal look good. Umar declined to speak and reprimanded for an altercation Association banned the 31-year-old over the to AFP for this story, but several with umpires during the incident, effectively ending his sporting career. experts suggested Pakistan’s close- World Cup in . He ran into team for some time”. should be the disappointed one!” The association said it took into account knit cricketing world is fed up. trouble off the field too. In 2014, he After Waqar, coach told AFP in a WhatsApp mes- Wang’s “inappropriate” conduct which under- “Umar is not prepared to show was arrested in his native Arthur, of South Africa, had several sage. “He will only have himself to mined the “integrity and social standing of judo” remorse and seek apology,” the over a scuffle with a traffic warden. run-ins with Umar. In 2017 Arthur blame and should have taken when deciding on the life ban, according to judgement accompanying Umar’s He has repeatedly grabbed head- sent him home days before the start responsibility for his career instead Yonhap news agency. Wang has seven days to ban states. Ramiz Raja, a former lines for partying late into the night, of the Champions Trophy after he of always looking to make excuses lodge an appeal. Pakistan captain and a well-known ending in yet more fines and repri- failed a fitness test. and blame others.” cricket analyst, said he was “pained mands. Later that year he received a Despite promises, Umar did not ABUSE IS RIFE to see such a talent go waste”. three-month ban after a spat with change. “I want to ask forgiveness of South Korea is a regional sporting power and “Cricket cannot condone such ‘ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME’ Arthur in the national cricket acade- all fans who have been hurt by my regularly in the top 10 medal table places at the behaviour and fans need to realise A dozen captains and coaches tried my in Lahore. Arthur, now head conduct,” Umar said in 2017. “I am summer and winter Olympics. that rooting for tainted players is to keep Umar on track, but without coach of Sri Lanka, said he wasn’t ready to commit to cricket. I still But in an already intensely competitive socie- actually harming Pakistan cricket luck. had two coaching surprised by Umar’s recent prob- have a lot of cricket left in me and I ty, winning is virtually everything in its sports and its image,” Raja told AFP. stints from 2010 to 2016, and ended lems. aim to make another international community — and physical and verbal abuse are Umar’s Test career exploded into up recommending an undisciplined “I feel nothing for guys who comeback.” But it seems he has now rife. Just last week, Olympic short-track speed life with a century in his 2009 debut “Umar be kept away from the national waste their talent like he has... he run out of chances. —AFP skating medallist Lim Hyo-jun was convicted of sexually harassing a fellow male athlete by pulling down his trousers, fined 3 million won also be decided on points-per-game, their bitter ning for the return of the game in season 2020-21 ($2,450) and ordered to undergo 40 hours of Scotland’s infighting rivals Celtic would be crowned champions for a and to the financial survival of all our clubs,” said therapy for sex offenders. —AFP record-equalling ninth consecutive season thanks Celtic in a statement after the vote. to a 13-point lead at the top when the campaign Understandably, the one thing all the clubs have in shows perils of calling was halted. common is self-interest. Hearts, four points adrift at the bottom, are set Had the SPFL gone the other way and decided season to a halt to be relegated from the top-flight. against crowning champions and denying promo- FIFA postpones

LONDON: “It is fundamentally wrong that any club should tion, then Celtic, Dundee United, Raith Rovers and The Scottish Professional Football be unfairly penalised by exceptional decisions that Cove Rangers would be the ones “unfairly women’s U-17 League (SPFL) will not face an independent inves- have had to be taken to deal with the current cri- penalised”. tigation after winning the support of its member sis,” said Hearts chairman Ann Budge. Partick The problem of clubs protecting their own inter- clubs at an extraordinary general meeting on Thistle have a case to be the most unfairly treated ests was clear on Friday when a meeting of WCup to 2021 Tuesday. as they sit just two points from safety at the bottom Premiership teams ruled out the possibility of NEW DELHI: However, the division and rancour that has of the Championship, but with a game in hand. league reconstruction. Proposals to increase the The women’s Under-17 World Cup, soured the Scottish game for the past month stands Stranraer would also be prematurely relegated size of the leagues would have saved those that due to be held in India in November, has been post- as a warning to other leagues around Europe, who from League One, while Inverness and Falkirk stand to go down from relegation and promoted poned for three months, FIFA said Tuesday, adding to may also have to bring their seasons to a premature have voiced their frustration at seeing their claim the teams in second place of the Championship, a growing list of sporting events hit by the pandemic. end. to a promotion playoff denied. Rangers accused League One and League Two, who will now miss The tournament, to be played in five cities across the The SPFL’s conduct has been called into ques- the SPFL of bullying and coercing clubs into vot- out on a playoff. country, will now start February 17, football’s govern- tion over a controversial resolution that allowed ing for their plan and even went as far as to call But at a time of economic crisis, Premiership ing body said. India is looking to boost its internation- the three leagues below the top-flight to be for the suspension of chief executive Neil clubs were unwilling to see their share of a new tel- al standing as a host of top sporting events after hold- declared over on points-per-game, paving the way Doncaster. evision rights deal for next season watered down. ing the men’s Under-17 World Cup in 2017. “All the for the Premiership to potentially follow suit. The “We were concerned that there was a potential risk host cities have put in a lot of effort and commitment plan came down to one vote from Championship FINANCIAL CRISIS to the broadcast deal which is the only realistic so far, and we are happy that the new dates will allow side Dundee, which the SPFL said it did not The Glasgow giants released a 200-page source of income for all 42 clubs for the foresee- them to make up for the lost time and provide receive due to a technological glitch. Dundee had dossier to make their case last week and gained able future,” St Johnstone said in a statement on momentum going forward,” the local organising com- voted against the resolution in the first instance. support for their call for an independent investiga- Tuesday. mittee said after the FIFA announcement. But when asked to cast their ballot again then per- tion from 13 of the 42 clubs. However, it did not get As other leagues battle with the logistics of fin- FIFA also unveiled new dates for this year’s U-20 formed a U-turn, sparking the suspicions and the required support of 75 percent of clubs, most ishing the season behind closed doors, or the legal Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and Panama. It will anger of those who stood to lose out. of whom are more concerned with ensuring they minefield of calling the season to a halt, the lesson now be played from January 20 to February 6, 2021. Rangers have led the crusade against the survive the financial crisis. from Scotland’s fallout is sobering. There is no easy The 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania has league’s hierarchy. Should the Premiership season “All of our energies should be applied to plan- solution that will satisfy everyone. —AFP been pushed back to September 12 next year. —AFP